Le Concert Des Nations, Jordi Savall

Le Concert des Nations, created in 1989 around La Capella Reial de Catalunya, is the youngest of the groups conducted by Jordi Savall. Les Nations, which refers to the work by François Couperin, and are an assembly of "tastes", is also the premonition of an artistic Europe which, centuries old, bears the mark of the Age of Enlightenment. This group meets the present day need for an orchestra with period instruments, able to perform orchestral and symphonic repertoire from Baroque to Romanticism: 1600 - 1850. Le Concert des Nations is the first orchestra of its kind made up of musicians who originate mainly from Latin countries (Spain, South America, Italy, Portugal, France as well as many other countries). Each musician is a top-level specialist in playing ancient instruments. The impact of their recordings together with concerts played at the most important Music Festivals and culturally prominent cities makes Le Concert des Nations one of the principal orchestras of today, using original period instruments to accomplish an eclectic and varied repertoire. The desire to promote an historical repertoire of excellent musical quality through strict and revitalising performances is brought to light with the first works recorded by Le Concert des Nations: "Canticum ad Beatam Virginem Mariam" by Marc Antoine Charpentier, the "Suites pour Orchestre" and the "Les Six Concerts Brandebourgeois" by J.S. Bach, "Les Sept dernières paroles de notre redempteur sur la croix" by J. Haydn, the "Requiem" together with La Capella Reial de Catalunya by Mozart and the "Fire works - Water Music" by Haendel. The majority of critics consider these productions a point of reference, home and abroad. In a second phase, the following recordings were released: "Alcione - Suites des airs à joüer" by M. Marais, the "Orchestral works" by J.C. Arriaga, the "Symphony nº 3 in E flat major, Eroica" and the "Overture to Collin's tragedy - Coriolan" by Ludwig van Beethoven, the "Fairy Queen" by H. Purcell, the "Orchestre Suites" by Guillaume Dumanoir and recently the "Orchestre du Roi Soleil" by J.B. Lully, released by ALIA VOX, Jordi Savall's exclusive record label. With "Una Cosa Rara" by V.Martín y Soler, Le Concert des Nations and La Capella Reial de Catalunya entered the genre of opera. This work was performed and recorded live at the Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona in 1991 and later in Viena (1997). They followed their first performance, which enraptured the general public and received superb critic reviews, with "Orfeo" by C. Monteverdi in 1993 also in the Gran Teatro del Liceo (with extraordinary scene direction by Gilbert Deflo). Finally in February 1995 came the world première of the Viennese opera "Il Burbero di Buon Cuore" by V. Martin y Soler, based on the libretto by Goldoni/Da Ponte (with Gilbert Deflo once again as scene director) and which was performed for the first time in the Montpellier Opera Theatre. Within a wide scale of future projects, the most prominent would be the release of the Compact Disc Missa Bruxellensis by Biber, recorded during the 1999 Salzburg Festival and the recording of Calderón de la Barca and Juan Hidalgo's opera "Celos aun del ayre matan". Both recordings are absolute world premières. During the seasons 2000 and 2001, Le Concert des Nations will be giving concerts in Vienna, Paris, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Madrid, Barcelona, La Coruña, Lisbon, Reggio-Emilia, Rome, Milan, Brussels, Salzburg, Ambronay, Halle, Regensburg and Postdam, etc. Some of the works they will play include; Bach (Mass in B minor, Les Six Concerts Brandebourgeois, Suites /Overtures, etc.) Haendel, Haydn, Lully, Marais, Rameau, Corelli, Cabanilles, Monteverdi, Martin y Soler, etc. Le Concert des Nations is the orchestra of La Capella Reial de Catalunya and receives the patronage of la Generalitat de Catalunya. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.